


Cracks

by BreakfastTea



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Donald and Goofy are Sora's parents, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Spoilers - Kingdom Hearts III
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-10-29 19:36:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17814215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreakfastTea/pseuds/BreakfastTea
Summary: After the run in with Vanitas and a tough battle with a powerful Heartless, Goofy knows something's not right with Sora.





	Cracks

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaand here we go, my first fic with spoilers. If you haven't played up to Arendelle, come back later ^_^
> 
> Also, hello and welcome to another "Breakfast Tea writes about CONSEQUENCES" story in which I delve into the inbetween moments in the game's story and inflict bad things on sweet, innocent characters.

The ship was too quiet. Goofy didn’t like it. A silent Sora meant something wasn’t right. That last fight on Arendelle had been incredibly tough. And as happy as Sora’d been when Anna returned and Elsa melted the snow, Goofy had watched him sink into himself as they’d said their goodbyes and returned to the ship. He’d said he was cold, fetched a blanket out of storage. Since he’d bundled himself into it and sat in the pilot’s seat, Sora hadn’t said a single word.

Goofy _really_ didn’t like it.

Not only had Sora been too quiet, he’d looked a little too pale for Goofy’s liking. And Sora kept rubbing his chest like something hurt. Goofy couldn’t help but think back to Monstropolis and Vanitas’ attack. Maybe Goofy and Donald hadn’t protected Sora as well as they thought. Sora’s heart was right where it was supposed to be, but…

…but something definitely wasn’t right.

Goofy opened his mouth to say something, but Donald beat him to it. “We should take a break, maybe head to Twilight Town and check in with Olette and the others.”

“Good idea,” Goofy said. He met Donald’s eyes. Yup, he’d noticed it too. That settled it. No more new worlds until Sora was himself again. “Sora, what do you think?”

No response.

Donald frowned and hopped off his chair. “Sora? Are you… Sora!”

Goofy hurried over too. He found Sora slumped in his seat, eyes hooded, sweat shimmering on his face. “Sorry,” Sora said. He tried to smile, but it fell short. “I guess I don’t feel so good.”

“What’s wrong?” Donald asked. His wand appeared in his hand. He cast a healing spell, but it didn’t seem to help.

Goofy reached out, but instead of a fever, Sora was freezing cold. Tucking the blanket tightly around Sora’s shoulders, Goofy patted him on the head. “We can help if you talk to us,” he said.

Sora shook his head. “I dunno what’s wrong. My heart feels wrong. Heavy.”

“Are you still worried about Elsa?” Donald asked.

“No. She’s gonna be fine.” Sora rubbed his chest again. “I think Vanitas might’ve hit me after all.” He leaned into Goofy’s hand. “I’m so tired. I feel all woozy.”

“You need rest,” Donald said. “I’ll pilot us back to Twilight Town.”

Sora nodded. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for,” Goofy said. “Why don’t you get some sleep during the journey?”

Jiminy hopped out of Sora’s hood. “That sounds like a good idea. It’ll give me a chance to get the journal up to date too.”

Nodding, Sora stood and handed over his phone. “Yeah, I think – ” His voice faded. Somehow, Sora went even paler than before. His legs gave way and he pitched forwards.

“Sora!” Goofy grabbed him before he could hit the deck. “Sora, wake up!”

Sora blinked his eyes open. “I’m just so tired,” he said, voice thin. Sora frowned, hand once again rubbing at his chest. “I think… maybe I overdid it?” He looked up at Goofy. “Oops.”

“Does anything else hurt?” Goofy asked.

Sora slumped, asleep again before he gave an answer.  

Holding Sora close, wincing at how cold he was, Goofy grabbed the blanket and looked up at Donald. “I think we’re gonna need some help,” he said, making sure Sora was properly wrapped up.

Jiminy held up the phone. “Here, maybe Ienzo can help.”

“Good idea.” Donald took the phone. He looked up at Goofy. “We have to take care of him.”

Goofy knew Donald well enough to know when his friend was seriously worried. Despite his frequently fiery temper, Donald cared deeply about his friends. And it was times like this that both he and Goofy had to remember just how young Sora really was. “We will,” Goofy said. “Even if we have to sit on him to make him stay still when he thinks he’s feeling better.”

Donald called Ienzo. He was quick to answer. “Hello Sora, I wasn’t expecting to – oh! Donald! How may I be of assistance?”

“We’ve got a big problem,” Donald said. He angled the phone so Ienzo could see Sora. “I think maybe Vanitas hurt Sora’s heart after all.”

Ienzo’s eyes widened behind his hair. “That’s not good, not so soon after he recovered from what happened in the sleeping worlds.”

“Gwarsh, you sure know a lot, Ienzo,” Goofy said.

Ienzo nodded. “I’ve been in contact with Master Yen Sid and he explained what happened.”

“What should we do?” Donald asked.

“Find a safe place while I undertake some research,” Ienzo said. “I know I’ve read something about this in the library here. I’ll work as fast as I’m able, you have my word.” He bowed slightly. “We’ll speak soon.”

The call ended. Donald returned the phone to Jiminy and hopped into the pilot’s seat. Donald stayed silent when he took the controls, getting them going. Goofy knew better than to try and shift Donald out of one of his quiet moods. His old friend tended to brew mighty hard on a problem that didn’t have an immediate solution. Well, no worries. They were working on it. Goofy shifted Sora so he was resting on the deck swaddled in the blanket, his head resting on Goofy’s leg. Reaching out, Goofy ran his hand through Sora’s spiky hair. “Sleep well,” he said. “You’re safe. We’ve got you.”

Goofy sure wished things didn’t have to be so hard. Sora had done a lot of growing since they’d first met, but that didn’t stop Goofy worrying. If only he could do more to lighten Sora’s burdens. Sighing, Goofy leaned against the bulkhead, watching the stars flash by.

Jiminy came to sit beside Sora too. He looked up at Goofy. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be fine after a rest.”

Goofy really, really hoped so. And as Donald flew them to Twilight Town, Goofy resolved to do more to keep Sora safer.

* * *

The cold touch of glass awakened Sora. Opening his eyes, he found himself on a familiar station. He dragged himself upright, forcing himself to his feet. His body protested at the movement, begging him to sit back down. He couldn’t. Something wasn’t right. He saw a long, deep crack in the glass. Darkness billowed there, gnawing away at his light. Sora stumbled over to it. Not good. So, so, so not good. He needed to heal it, but he didn’t know how. Not on his own. Kairi and Riku had been there for him the last two times he’d fallen to darkness. And Curaga wouldn’t work; this wasn’t that kind of problem.

What should he do?

“Don’t panic,” he told himself. “I can totally fix this. Somehow.”

He should’ve known better after that confrontation with Vanitas. He hadn’t felt right, but he’d ignored it because there was so much to do and he couldn’t leave his friends to deal with everything alone. He’d already caused enough trouble failing that exam. So instead of waiting, they’d rushed to Arendelle, run around in the snow without a coat, and fought a terrible Heartless. Stopping that wolf had taken everything he had. He’d regained plenty of strength since they’d set out on this journey, but not enough to walk off someone trying to rip his, and Ventus’, heart right out of him. And he had Roxas and that other heart to think of.

He really wished he knew who that third heart belonged to.

Falling to his knees, Sora pressed his hands to the crack. “It’s okay,” he said, hoping his voice would reach them. “We’re okay. You’re safe. I’m gonna take care of this.”

He closed his eyes, trying to scrounge up some energy to heal the crack. Vanitas might’ve tried ripping Ventus and Sora’s hearts out, but he’d failed. And now, Sora needed to fix that crack. His heart was made of light, with just a few shadows gathering at the edges. He needed to keep himself safe because other people relied on him. Light glittered at his fingertips. Channelling it into the crack, Sora felt the darkness fade. The crack remained. Power fluctuating, Sora gasped, exhaustion worsening. He couldn’t risk more right now. Trying only made him feel worse, his head so dizzy he thought it might spin right off. He fell onto his side, rolling onto his back. “Okay,” he said, panting for breath. “Maybe I just gotta sleep a bit longer.” He laughed, the sound pathetic. “Or I gotta wake up.” He stared at the light shining far, far above. Right now, that didn’t seem likely.

Tension bled out of his body. Maybe just a little more sleep. And then he could fix this.

He could fix it. Right?

* * *

When they reached Twilight Town, Goofy realised they really didn’t have a place to stay there.

“We could go to the Old Mansion,” Donald suggested.

“Uh, isn’t that a little spooky?” Goofy said.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Donald slid out of the pilot’s chair. “I’ll see if Uncle Scrooge can help us out. You stay here with Sora.”

Nodding, Goofy watched Donald warp down to the town. Sora sighed in his sleep. Looking down at him, Goofy noticed Sora wasn’t so pale. He frowned in his sleep, like all his worries had followed him down. There had been a lot of nightmares over the years. And no matter how much Sora tried to smile his way through them, sometimes, especially in the early days, Goofy wound up sitting alongside his young friend until the tears stopped. Other times, like now, Sora would be too tired to fully wake up. So Goofy always stayed with him, making sure he knew he wasn’t alone.

“Don’t be too glum, Goofy,” Jiminy said. “You know Sora, he wouldn’t want us to worry. Besides, what was it you and Donald always say to him?”

“No frowning, no sad faces.” Sometimes, Goofy really regretted that advice. Sora took it to extremes… like this. Maybe if they’d just talked to him, found out how bad he felt before it’d gone this far…

“We’re doing everything we can to help him, so Sora’s gonna be just fine,” Jiminy said.

Goofy and Jiminy shared a look. Neither smiled. It was hard when they were so worried.

The phone rang, the cheery ringtone singing out across the silent cockpit. Jiminy handed it to Goofy, who picked up.

It was Ienzo. “Ah, Goofy. I have some good news.”

Finally, Goofy did smile. “You do?”

“It would seem that Sora will be fine with some rest,” Ienzo said. “His heart is, understandably, overburdened with those other three tucked away inside it. He would’ve been fine if not for the attack he suffered, followed by over-exertion. You and Donald must have intervened just in time to keep him losing his heart.”

“That’s what my shield is for,” Goofy said. “To protect my friends.”

Ienzo nodded. “It’s a good thing you did. Strength is hard to rebuild, and while what he’s regained is probably part of the reason why Vanitas didn’t succeed, having you and Donald there for him kept him with us. Now what he needs is time to heal. Sleep and safety will fix him right up. I recommend a few days of absolutely no fighting whatsoever. Don’t even let him summon his Keyblade. Total rest. That will give him the energy he needs to heal.”

“Sounds good,” Goofy said. They could all use a little time to relax. At least Mickey and Riku were still out there. If they had to step in and fill in for Sora for a few days, Goofy knew they wouldn’t mind. “Thanks, Ienzo.”

“Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything else,” Ienzo said.

The call ended just as Donald returned. “Uncle Scrooge said we can stay in his apartment for a while.”

“For free?” Goofy asked.

Donald frowned. “He’ll have me doing errands, but it’ll still be cheaper than a hotel.”

“Ienzo called,” Jiminy said. “Sora will be fine after some rest. A few days oughta do it.”

“What a relief,” Donald said.

“It sure will be nice to not fight the Heartless for a while,” Goofy said.

Donald nodded. “Let’s go. Uncle Scrooge has a spare room set up for us already.”

* * *

Sora stirred awake, finding himself still on his platform. Rolling onto his side, he saw the crack didn’t seem so deep or so long. The darkness hadn’t returned either. He let out a shaky sigh. That was an improvement. He didn’t feel so worn out either. Not that he felt ready to take on the Heartless, but he didn’t feel like he might pass out where he sat either. So, big improvements all round.

Sora pressed his hand to the glass. Everything would be alright. The light felt stronger now. He felt stronger. His heart, and those he carried with him, would be back to normal soon. Well… sorta. It’s not like the other three really belonged with him. Somehow, he had to find a way to return them all to where they belonged. And he couldn’t do that while he slept. Besides, if he didn’t wake up, Donald and Goofy would really start worrying. And Jiminy probably needed something new to write about by now.

Pulling himself to his feet, Sora turned to the light and closed his eyes.

A hand clamped around his ankle. Turning, Sora looked down and saw his shadow pulling itself free of the glass. Memory flashed across his mind, of a time when a voice guided him through a strange dream. Back then, fear overpowered him. This time, the shadow didn’t grow into a monster. Sora didn’t need to be afraid of his own shadow anymore. It watched him with deep red eyes.

“I’m okay,” Sora told his shadow. “I’m not in any danger. I mean, we’re not in any danger. You don’t need to protect me. There’s nothing to fight right now.”

His shadow nodded.

Sora smiled, hand held out. “Thanks for looking out for me. You’re always there when I need you the most.”

His shadow’s head cocked to one side, in that strange, twitching way of his. Laughing, Sora reached out and grabbed the shadow’s hand. “Shake? See?” Sora gave his hand a solid shake.

The shadow just stared.

“Okay.” Sora pulled his hand back. “Guess I’d better wake up before Donald and Goofy do something gross to wake me up.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Being licked awake by a horse was gross and uncalled for.”

The shadow said nothing. Instead, it went and sat above the crack.

Smiling at his shadow’s protective instincts, Sora turned to the light and closed his eyes. It was time to wake up for real.

* * *

“Sora?”

He opened his eyes and found Donald and Goofy staring down at him. “Um, hi?”

“Sora! You’re awake!” Goofy cheered.

“It’s about time,” Donald added.

They helped him sit up. He was dizzy for a moment. How long had he been in bed? Too long probably. Goofy fluffed the pillows. Sora leaned into them and looked around. The room around him was pretty fancy. All the furniture looked expensive, and through the open window he could see the rooftops of Twilight Town. It was quiet outside. Maybe they were staying in the residential district. A faint memory passed through his mind, one of Roxas’. He could remember running down the streets, heading for the Usual Spot, ready to spend the last of his summer vacation with –

“Sora?” Goofy called, sounding worried.

He shook himself. “Sorry. Drifted off for a second.”

“You’d best stay awake and eat something.” Jiminy’s voice piped up from below. Sora found the familiar cricket sitting on his lap, phone at his side. “How are you feeling?”

“Uh…” Sora yawned. How was he feeling? He gave himself a moment to check in with his body. “Tired. Hungry.”

“Don’t you scare us like that again!” Donald declared. “I… I…” He broke down into a wordless warble and threw himself at Sora.

Sora hugged his friend. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I should’ve said something. Rested sooner.”

“You’re gonna rest now,” Goofy said. “Three days. No arguing!”

“Three whole days?” Sora asked. “But we can’t waste –”

“Now, now, you can’t go running off around the worlds if you’re worn out and hurting,” Goofy said. “Besides, Little Chef sure has been worried about you. He’s made you a special get well soon soup.”

“With a little help,” Donald said, rubbing his head.

“Really?” Sora asked.

“Yup. It’s delicious and it’ll make you feel better,” Donald said. “Along with rest!” He pointed at Sora. “No fighting. No Keyblades. No nothing. Just sitting. There. In bed.”

Sora blinked. “Um. Okay?” Actually, resting sounded really, really nice. Besides, that would give his heart a chance to heal properly. He could go back and heal it more soon, he was sure. After all, he was safe, warm, and with his friends. Nothing could go wrong. “Can I have my phone?” he asked Jiminy.

Donald got there before Jiminy could hand it over. “So you can play games for hours instead of resting? Not a chance!”

Sora sighed. Maybe he had played those Classic Kingdom games for too long. But sometimes, when he couldn’t sleep, or when he had nightmares, they really helped him unwind. He really wanted to beat his top score on the mail carrier game.

“Now, now, Donald got you something else to do,” Goofy said.

“Right!” Donald held out a bag overloaded with books. “Bed time is story time.”

Grinning, Sora took the bag. “Are you gonna read to me?”

“If it means you get some more rest, yes!” Donald said.

Sora peered at the book titles. _Basil the Great Mouse Detective. Treasure Planet. Final Fantasy. Secret of Mana._ They all sounded great. “Thanks, Donald.”

“You’re welcome,” Donald said. “Olette helped me find the bookstore in town. She hopes you feel better soon.”

“Right.” Sora’s fingers danced over a book cover. He wanted to go, wanted to help, but if he ran off now, before he was healed, he’d only cause more trouble. He’d done enough of that already, plus he didn’t have only himself to think of. “Are you guys okay though?”

“Uh huh, we’re all fine,” Goofy said. “Right fellas?”

“Right,” Donald said.

“I’m as right as rain,” Jiminy said.

“That’s good,” Sora said. Relief loosened some of the guilt clinging to him. He sank into his pillows. He couldn’t believe how tired he still felt.

“I’ll go see if Little Chef’s finished,” Donald said.

Sora’s stomach growled loudly. He blushed, clapping his hands over his middle. “Guess I’m really hungry.”

“Not surprised,” Goofy said as Donald headed out. “You’ve been asleep since we got here yesterday. You didn’t even wake up when Uncle Scrooge sang in the shower this morning.”

“Who knew he could be that loud,” Jiminy said.

Sora really needed to take a shower. Or a bath. A bubble bath. That would warm him through too. He tugged the blanket around him, hoping he wouldn’t be cold for much longer. As great as snow was, and as warm as running and fighting made him, he really should’ve found a coat…

Donald returned a few minutes later, a tray laden with soup bowls fighting at his side. Sora wished he could make his magic do things like that, but he didn’t have Donald’s talent.

“Lunch is served!” Donald said. He put the tray down on a small table. Sora moved to get up. “Ah!” Donald glared at him. “What did I say about resting?”

“Um… to do it?”

“Exactly,” Donald said.

Knowing better than to argue, Sora settled back against the pillows. “Right.”

They ate together, Donald and Goofy pulling up chairs while Jiminy made a seat for himself against Sora’s leg. Sora listened to the others chatting, too hungry and too tired to really join in. He definitely felt better than before. After they’d left Arendelle, he’d been so exhausted he thought he might fall back into that endless sleep. But he hadn’t, and he felt certain he’d be able to fully heal that crack soon enough. Three days of rest sounded perfect.

Halfway through the soup, Sora found himself nodding off again. Warmed through and relaxed, body tingling with healing magic and amazing ingredients, he barely noticed Goofy grabbing his bowl before the remaining contents spilled over Uncle Scrouge’s probably super expensive bedsheets.

“You should get some more sleep,” Goofy said. “That’s probably the best thing for you right now.”

Some part of Sora tried to argue, but the exhaustion soon silenced that. Sliding down, tugging his blankets up to his chin, Sora closed his eyes. “Thanks for always taking care of me,” he said to his friends.

“Aw, you know we’ve always got your back,” Donald said.

“You’re worth taking care of,” Goofy added.

“Are you gonna read me a bedtime story?” Sora asked through a yawn.

“Alright.” Donald pulled a book out of the bag. “ _Final Fantasy_ , by Hironobu Sakaguchi and Kenji Terada.”

Sora drifted off with a smile on his face.

A smile Donald photographed.

Then sent to Riku.

And Kairi.

Because that’s what friends were for.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading <3
> 
> Donald and Goofy (and Jiminy) are Sora's surrogate dads and no one can take that away from me.
> 
> I am sooooo gonna have to write more stories of them taking care of him from earlier in the franchise.
> 
> You can find me on [Tumblr!](http://breakfastteatime.tumblr.com/) Feel free to hit the Asks and drop me a line. Always happy to chat KH and FFXV. 
> 
> (Nomura, just because you didn't put the Chocobros in KH doesn't mean I won't...)


End file.
